The Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety exposed several systematic issues, most notably understaffing within the Aged Care industry, and the complications associated with this. The staff-to-resident ratio is of primary concern, with aged care residents currently receiving 2.5 hours of care each day, where this figure should reflect 4.3 hours.
With the Royal Commission unearthing cases of misconduct, neglect and malpractice, inadequacy in staffing levels require service employees to work arduous hours and divide the scarcity of time between many residents.
Staff, in particular nurses, consistently report that they experience considerable difficultly in providing substantial and consistently excellent quality care to their patients. Research conducted by the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation found that individuals living in residential aged care need an average of 4.3 hours of care per day as stated above, which is close to double the current hours of care provided.
Further data published by the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation provides that the ideal composition of staff in Aged Care facilities comprise 30% Registered Nurses, 20% Enrolled Nurses, and 70% Personal Care Workers.
Why aren’t their adequate levels of staff in the Aged Care Industry?
- In Australia, there is currently no mandate on staffing ratios of registered nurses in aged care. This is extremely pertinent as ratios assist in establishing a safe minimum standard of staffing, and provides assistance in ensuring that adequate and acceptable quality care is being delivered continuously to patients.
- There is a continuously increasing shortage of qualified carers and registered nurses working in Aged Care. Strenuous working conditions, stigmatic perceptions pertaining to the Aged Care environment, and notably low salaries drive down interest and commitment within care service roles.
- The Australian Government has substantially reduced funding from Aged Care, resulting in facilities possessing less available resources to maintain satisfactory staffing levels.
In such a difficult industry, Aged Care providers need assistance with recruitment, human resources and strong advice in regards to staff management. CIRCLE Recruitment & HR have been leaders in this space for many years and can assist you with your organisation, either as a supplement to your own in-house teams, through outsourcing and as a strong advice mechanism, skilled in your industry and with the right level of experience and know-how.
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I feel there should be 1carer to 5 residents in aged care facilities. The residents are getting harder. EG: more lifter residents more feeds more wounds . All this things take more time. If you have 2 carers to 14 residents an 8 are doubles 5 are feeds. It’s hard to complete all the tasks that need to be done on a 8 hr day shift.
Thanks for your comment Gaye and hear what you are saying. It is a huge problem.
Hospitals are keen to push patients out to nursing homes
Yes, there is more than one system under huge pressure!
I’m particularly worried about the fact that the current staff-to-resident ratio is only 2.5 hours of care per day, when the ideal ratio is 4.3 hours. This means that residents are not getting the care they need, and they are at risk of neglect and abuse. I’m glad that the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has highlighted this issue, and I hope that the government will take action to address it. We need to ensure that all aged care residents receive the care they deserve, and that means increasing staffing levels to the recommended ratio.
Thanks for your comment Jasper, and totally agree. Without any national ratios for Aged Care, staff are being pushed and facilities battle to give top level care to their residents in very tight economic and staffing conditions. Hats off to all who work in this challenging industry.
I am career, working on Uniting aged care(call home care model) and 2 staff doing care for resident 30 residents with not only for care, doing medication, catering, dishwashing, feeding, laundry, cleaning, activities,, showering, pad change for residents much more I’m not-recommended don’t send to Uniting aged care.
It is so important to hear from workers in various facilities, and I commend each and every one of them for speaking out! Workers, Carers, Visitors to loved ones in various types of care in Australia have opinions and stories to tell, Is anybody asking them? is anybody listening? Are they frightened to speak up? So many care and wish for a better deal for all Australians who may not be able to speak for themselves but the real outcome for the aged and frail and persons with a disability is a secret, a sad secret, a shameful secret, Will things ever change? will the next election come and go with politicians promising sweeping changes that lack appropriate detail and accountability, Sadly YES! When will politicians ask the right people the right questions, and actually listen and Do something, Stop allowing such low staff to client ratios! If a carer at home is struggling to manage a person with high needs, how can the care provided in a respite facility or nursing home be good enough with less staff interaction, I mean if one on one does not work for one carer why would one carer to 3 or 4 persons work? and no teamwork does not always solve every issue!! Carers who have concerns for their loved ones in care are not coming forward for many reasons, we do not know most of them and we will never know unless we really ask and listen, and it is time to listen again, one study in the past is not enough, the carer to client ratio is less, so the issues are intensifying, old studies are no longer enough, studies need to be ongoing all the time and take into account the dynamic in care situations that sees the client as the last person to be considered! Australians deserve better!
Thanks for your insightful comments Carol. We agree there are many issues and authorities need to listen to those who work and are experienced in the sector. All carers do an amazing job
Hi Cristy, thank you for your message!
Absolutely! Please see link to the Aged Care Reform Roadmap from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/aged-care-reform-roadmap-2022-to-2025
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